The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) said it was ramping up infrastructure investment to address growing learner numbers and financial constraints, as enrolment across provincial schools continues to rise.

Speaking during a meeting of the Provincial Parliament’s Standing Committee on Education this week, WCED officials said enrolment in public schools grew by 19% between 2015 and 2024, with an average annual increase of 2.3%. The department currently serves more than 1.3 million learners across 1,887 schools.

According to the WCED, the increase in enrolment has been driven largely by in-migration from other provinces.

Department officials said the growth had placed pressure on school infrastructure and staffing resources.

Leon van Wyk, DA Western Cape spokesperson on education, said the department had maintained discipline in budget allocation despite rising costs.

“From 2022 to 2025, the WCED has kept employee compensation at a sustainable 71% to 72% of its budget — the lowest among major provinces,” said Van Wyk.

“This has allowed us to invest more in critical services like textbooks, learner transport, nutrition programmes, and infrastructure.”

Van Wyk contrasted this with other provinces, stating that KwaZulu-Natal had spent over 83% of its education budget on salaries over four consecutive years, leaving less for other education needs.

He said: “To ensure every learner has a seat in a safe, functional classroom, we must continue to prioritise infrastructure spending. It’s not optional — it’s essential.”

In response to infrastructure demand, the WCED has launched its Rapid School Build Programme, which is expected to deliver 26 new school projects over the next three years.

According to the department, a further 290 new classrooms and 21 Grade R classrooms are also planned for the same period.

The department said 59 school maintenance projects are currently under construction for the 2025/26 financial year, with an additional 26 projects in planning.

Since 2021, the WCED has implemented LED lighting upgrades at 167 schools, installed solar PV systems at 91 schools, and completed fencing improvements at 167 schools.

Van Wyk said the department’s decisions were based on long-term planning and data, aimed at improving education infrastructure while keeping the system financially sustainable.

However, ANC Western Cape leader of the opposition, Khalid Sayed, criticised the department’s approach.

In a statement, he said the DA’s narrative “attempts to spin the Western Cape Education Department’s infrastructure crisis into a success story”.

Sayed said: “The WCED has had more than enough time to plan for the enrolment increase. Instead, what we have seen is delayed school builds, under-resourced township and rural schools, and an overreliance on rapid or modular builds.”

He expressed concern over the department’s budget focus, saying that the containment of wage costs resulted in fewer teachers and larger class sizes.

Social service and educational organisation, Ilitha Labantu,  also raised concerns about staffing reductions.

The organisation cited figures from the WCED indicating that 2,407 teacher posts had been cut across the province as of January 1, 2025.

It said these cuts took place in the context of a R3.8 billion projected shortfall in the education budget over the next three years.

According to Ilitha Labantu, nearly 70% of the schools affected by the staff reductions were no-fee schools that serve township and vulnerable communities.

The organisation said schools in areas such as Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain reported class sizes exceeding 50 learners per teacher.

In a statement, Ilitha Labantu said: “While the department promotes LED lighting, fencing upgrades, and solar installations at some schools, learners in township communities continue to endure unsafe, overcrowded, and dilapidated school infrastructure.”

The organisation also raised safety concerns. It said school audits and public education monitoring had revealed that more than half of under-resourced schools in the province had experienced vandalism or theft, and only 47% had effective perimeter fencing.

Ilitha Labantu cited recent incidents, including the abduction and rape of a 14-year-old learner in Langa, and the fatal shooting of a 15-year-old learner from Samora Machel while walking to school, as examples of the vulnerability learners face.

Both the ANC and Ilitha Labantu called for the WCED to release a detailed breakdown of infrastructure and staffing backlogs by district.

They also called for increased funding from the Department of Basic Education and the National Treasury to support staffing, infrastructure, and school safety in disadvantaged areas.

mandilakhe.tshwete@inl.co.za 

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